Page 5 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

I’d been traveling for over a week. Who knew how long the power had been out?

God, I miss Dahlia.I shut that thought down. Dahlia was a service submissive I’d found up here at the university years ago. Through college, she had stayed here and served me while I was in town, and cared for my house while I was away. She was sweet, but I didn’t miss her any more than I missed any of my former PA’s, submissives, or playmates. What I missed was having someone I could trust to deal with shit like random power outages, or flooding, or mudslides, so that when I got home from a trip, I wouldn’t walk into an empty house with a small ecosystem living in my refrigerator. I missed having someone to climb into bed with at night, someone to share a meal with. I missed the rush of affection and pride I felt when my girl realized I was home and fell to her knees in front of me, thrilled to be in my presence again.

I missed having someone who wasmine.

I shut the fridge and decided I’d deal with the uprising anarchy in the vegetable drawer when the sun was out. Trying not to stomp around my house like a child having a tantrum, I grabbed a change of clothes and a bottle of wine, hauled myself back into my car, and drove fifteen minutes back down the mountain to the Greenwood Valley.

There weren’t many people in the church clubhouse when I arrived. It was July and we were a college town, so school was out, and with it ninety percent of our members. Alex was back from Russia. Sophie and Mark lived there full time, so they were around. Jake and his sister Maggie had just moved in as well. Cat never left campus, so she was someone I could always count on. There were a few others: mostly the summer students, members of the sports teams who were training, and members of the marching band who had camp, but other than that it was pretty empty. They’d have a room for me to crash in for the weekend, and I could call the electric company on Monday to get the power fixed.Maybe I could even borrow a generator from Andy Greenwood so I could take care of the fridge tomorrow.

When I walked in the front door of the church, I was greeted by Jake’s warm grin and firm handshake. “Good to see you, Reuben,” he said.

“You too, Jake. You hear from your brother?”

“Not since the last postcard.”

“Well, he’s in our prayers. And I’m confident he returns home.”

Jake smiled back at me with a mix of relief and gratitude. His brother being in the army and unable to contact him was taking a toll, but he made an effort to trust that his brother would stay safe.

I’d left the area after High School many years ago. When my father died several years later and I returned home to take over his bar, I’d met Jake and his brother Matt. Over the years, we became friends. Our significant age difference had never been an issue; Jake and Matt had asked me to come on campus to their weekly hangouts, pizza parties, and community service events, essentially forcing me back into the Cullowhee community and making me connect with people again.

Mark Baker came in from the side-door and gave me a hug. I’d known him as long as I’d known the Greenwood twins, and had given him some guidance and mentorship when he’d discovered his own proclivities were in line with mine. While he grew up in the ghetto on the border of Tennessee, he was now a college graduate, the building manager of the church, and worked part time at a local auto shop. The relief at seeing him happy and successful was an instant mood boost.

“Was there a storm recently,” I asked them both.

“Not recently, but we had a thunderstorm about a week ago,” Mark answered.

“Well, that explains the situation in my fridge.”

“Oh shit, did you lose power?”

“Power, groceries, and most of my patience.”

Sophie snuck out of the kitchen when she heard my voice and gave me a timid smile. Sweet, beautiful Sophie was a breath of fresh air every time I saw her. She was a curvy little kitten, submissive as hell, and not nearly as innocent as she appeared. With bright blue eyes, silky brown hair tied up in a ponytail that curved into a bouncy “S” shape, black-rimmed glasses, coffee-colored skin, and a cute knee-length dress, she was the embodiment of adorable. Her skills in the kitchen were almost as good as most of my chefs in my restaurants. She always looked up at me with bright-eyed innocence.

I’d adored her from the moment I’d met her; everyone did.Although I’d nearly fallen in love with her the moment I’d met her, I’d decided early on not to pursue her. I was far too cruel of a Dom for her. She’d ended up falling in love with Mark, and I thought they were good together.

She took one look at me and my suitcase and asked, “Enchiladas, or Broccoli Casserole?”

I handed her the bottle of wine as an offering for her service. “You, my dear, are far too good to me. Enchiladas please.”

“She’s too good for everyone,” Mark said, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck affectionately. “Especially me.”

“Don’t you forget it,” I said, giving him a serious glare. He smirked in response. Sophie ducked her head shyly, then trotted happily back to her kitchen with her hands cradling the bottle of wine.

Cat appeared a minute later, cheeks flushed and a baby on her hip. Her long dark hair was tied up in a messy knot on the top of her head. The little one she was holding appeared to be just under a year old, and was trying very hard to continue crying into Cat’s chest despite the comfort she was receiving.

“You’re up late,” I said, approaching the two, cocking my head at the little girl. “Aren’t you sleepy?”

The young child shook her head and buried her face back in Cat’s breasts, her fists gripping her shirt.

“New?” I asked. Recently, the church had started taking in unwanted children, and Cat ran the nursery.

Cat nodded and rubbed the child’s back. “She got here last week. This is Emily.” She kissed Emily on the top of her head and hugged her again. Cat looked up at me. “I’ve got room 401 ready for you.”

“You knew I was coming, didn’t you?”

She gave me a wink, tapped the side of her head twice, and took the grumpy child back into the nursery.

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